Double up on Summer Recipes with Chicken, Fresh Vegetables

June 6, 2012

WASHINGTON – When you’re shopping in the produce aisle or at the farmers’ market this summer, stock up on your favorite fresh summer vegetables. Just about all will pair well with chicken, and a simple change in added herbs or other ingredients, or a twist on cooking style, will offer an entirely new dish. The National Chicken Council offers these four new recipes that feature the best flavors of summer, along with favorite dark meat cuts of chicken.

Tomato Roasted Chicken Thighs with Lima Bean Puree combines two of the season’s favorites – lima beans and tomatoes – with spices like cumin, nutmeg, allspice, cayenne, cloves and cinnamon for a rich tasting dish that works well with hearty chicken thighs. Cook the chicken in the spice mixture along with chopped fresh garden tomatoes and a little red wine vinegar. Make the accompanying lima bean puree by chopping cooked lima beans together with almonds, parsley and lemon juice. Serve alongside a chicken thigh, with a drizzle of the tomato spice sauce on top.

Use many of the same ingredients to make Curry-Lime Chicken Thighs with Tomato-Lima Bean Salsa. To make this dish, marinate chicken thighs in a mixture of Greek yogurt, curry powder and lime juice. Then bring to a boil a mixture of red wine vinegar, water, pickling spices, sugar, red pepper flakes and celery seeds. Combine the lima beans and chopped tomatoes with a chopped onion, and then marinate in the pickling sauce. Grill or broil the marinated chicken and serve with the tomato-lima bean salsa on the side.

When you find eggplant, zucchini and chicken leg quarters, you’re ready to try Moroccan Chicken with Eggplant-Zucchini Ragout orChicken Legs with Glazed Eggplant, Zucchini and Apricot Skewers. To make the first dish, just cook the vegetables together with the chicken. Add olives, capers and red wine vinegar to the pan to give the dish a tangy flavor. Serve over couscous or rice. Or if you prefer to grill or broil, try the second recipe and serve with skewered sliced eggplant, zucchini and dried apricots. A honey balsamic glaze completes this dish.

According to a recent poll by the Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association, flavorful food is a key component to the cookout. Consumers said they prefer their food tender (57 percent) and juicy (56 percent), which are two key attributes given to dark meat cuts by chefs and home grillers alike.

“The growth in popularity of dark meat cuts can be attributed to four factors, really: an interest in its flavor, its popularity in more globally-inspired dishes, generally a lower price point and its attributes that make it better suited to the direct heat of a grill,” said Tom Super, vice president of communications with the National Chicken Council.

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The National Chicken Council is the trade association, based in Washington, DC, for the companies that raise broiler chickens and make and market chicken products. Member companies of NCC provide about 95 percent of the chicken products on America’s table.